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He bowed to the ladies.
The grandmother frowned in an unwelcoming manner, but Lady Gale extended her hand. ‘How nice of you to call, Neddington.’
He glanced to where Miss Gale was seated with the baron. ‘Am I interrupting a family visit? Do forgive me.’
‘Nonsense,’ the young Lady Gale said. ‘You are welcome here. Join us.’ She gestured to a chair near Miss Gale. ‘Shall I pour you some tea?’
‘I’ll not trouble you.’ He bowed to Miss Gale.
She sat in a pool of sunlight from the window, her hair shining like spun gold. Her skin was flawless and her eyes sparkling and clear as a cloudless sky.
She robbed him of speech.
He glanced from her to Luther, whom he’d known in school. ‘Gale.’
‘Neddington,’ Luther said without expression.
Ned was distressed to see him here. Was he courting Miss Gale? Most people liked to keep their wealth and property in the family. Lady Cowdlin said Miss Gale’s dowry was a generous one. Was that why Luther was here?
Still, if she had a large dowry, why did she live in such economy?
‘I hope you are well today, sir,’ she murmured to him.
‘Very well, miss,’ he responded.
‘Hmmph,’ the Dowager Lady Gale broke in. ‘Our cousin Luther was telling us about Gale House and its people. And the news from the village. We have always made it a point to concern ourselves with the needs of the people, you know.’
Ned turned to Gale. ‘I hope you found the people at Gale House in a good situation.’
‘Of course,’ Luther snapped.
The man was as happy to see Ned here as Ned was to see him. It depressed Ned that he might have a rival. Ned had so little to offer, how could he compete?
His family’s partnership with Rhysdale must reap its hoped-for benefits. It all depended upon his father.
Ned could hardly abide the presence of his father these days; he was so angry with the man. His father was being stubborn about Rhysdale and could ruin everything. They’d be worse off than before.
Then there would be no use in pursuing Miss Gale at all.
They chatted about the ball the night before. At one point Luther pulled out his timepiece and examined it.
A few minutes later, Luther stood. ‘I must take my leave.’ He bowed to Miss Gale, her stepmother and grandmother. ‘Ladies, it has been a pleasure.’ He tossed an unhappy glare at Ned.
After he left, Miss Gale asked Ned about the weather.
It gave him courage. ‘I wonder if you would like to take a turn in the park this afternoon, Miss Gale. I would consider it an honour to drive you in my curricle.’ He turned to her stepmother. ‘With your permission, ma’am.’
Lady Gale smiled. ‘If Adele wishes.’
‘Oh, I do!’ she cried. ‘I mean, I would like that very much, my lord.’
Miss Gale’s grandmother frowned.
He rose. ‘Then I shall return at four.’ A good three hours. How would he be able to pass that much time knowing he would have her company all to himself?
And with everyone else crowding Hyde Park during the fashionable hour.
Ned took his leave, his heart soaring.
‘What is this?’ Hugh entered the Westleigh town house drawing room. ‘Rhysdale, what are you doing here?’
Rhys was accustomed to Hugh’s brashness. He had always been so.
Rhys straightened and glanced at each of them. ‘I will not prevaricate. I came to get what is due me. I fulfilled my part of our bargain and—’ he turned to Lord Westleigh ‘—you, sir, have not fulfilled yours. I am done being trifled with.’
‘See here, Rhysdale—’ Lord Westleigh snapped.
‘What bargain?’ Lady Westleigh asked.
Rhys gestured to Westleigh and Hugh to explain.
Hugh glared at his father. ‘You explain it to her, Father.’
Lord Westleigh, still standing, wrung his hands.
‘Well.’ He looked at his wife. ‘Your sons made the plan. Just because finances have become a little strained these days—’
‘A little strained!’ Hugh broke in. ‘It is more serious than that.’ He turned to his mother. ‘We are a hair’s breadth from complete ruin. We owe everybody and Father has not kept up with payments to the bank, for money he borrowed to cover his gambling debts.’
Her gaze flew to her husband, who did not deny this. ‘What has this to do with Mr Rhysdale?’
Hugh answered her. ‘Ned and I went to him with a proposition.’ He explained the scheme to run a gaming house. ‘But Father will not do what he gave his word he would do.’
‘What is that?’ Lady Westleigh asked.
Her husband made a sound of disgust.
Rhys spoke up. ‘My lady, I fear what I’ve asked may cause you some distress. For that, I am sorry.’ He riveted his gaze on his father and spoke only to him. ‘I once came to you with one request—to support me after my mother died until I had a means of supporting myself. You refused. Now I have no need of your money, so I ask more.’ He turned back to Lady Westleigh. ‘Your husband must acknowledge me publicly as his natural son. It must seem to society that I am welcomed into the family. I do not ask for a true welcome,’ he assured her. ‘This is more a matter of recompense. But I insist upon a plan for this to be done and done soon. If it is not accomplished in a reasonable length of time, I will not release any of the money from the gaming hell to your sons.’
Hugh swung around to his mother. ‘We need the money, Mother. We need it now. Matters are desperate.’ His eyes shot daggers at his father. ‘If you had behaved with any decency, with any thought to our mother and sister, you would have done the right thing in the first place and you certainly would not have gambled and caroused until money for their food and clothing would be in jeopardy!’
Lady Westleigh’s eyes grew huge. ‘Is it as bad as that?’
‘It is desperate, Mother. Desperate.’ Hugh dropped into a chair.
The lady closed her eyes and pressed her fingers to her temples as she took in all this information. Finally she spoke. ‘We shall give a ball and introduce you, Mr Rhysdale. I’ll arrange the date with you, but it might take a few weeks. The social calendar is full. You will, I presume, wish to have good attendance.’ She lifted her chin. ‘I will give you my word that it will happen. Will that be enough to release some of the money?’
Rhys stood. ‘Your word will be enough, my lady. I will release the money to Ned today. Have him call upon me this afternoon.’ He turned to Lord Westleigh. ‘If you prevent this ball in any way, no further profits will be forthcoming.’
‘I have no other choice, do I?’ Westleigh said.
‘As my mother had no choice when you forced her into your bed. As I had no choice but to survive on my own when I was fourteen.’ He bowed to Lady Westleigh. ‘I will act in a manner that will not embarrass you, my lady. It will suffice that the truth become known.’
She nodded.
‘Hugh.’ He nodded to his half-brother. ‘I’ll bid you all good day.’
As he left the house and walked out to the street, he lacked the feeling of triumph that he’d expected. Instead he thought of Lady Westleigh. Her pained expression. Her evident distress.
He’d succeeded in putting his father in a helpless position, but in so doing he’d hurt someone even more helpless. Lady Westleigh.
Another casualty of his father’s selfish behaviour.
But it was done.
Rhys would make arrangements with his bank and get the money to Ned this day.
Sun peeked through the buildings and Rhys was reminded of his youth in the village. It had not all been unhappy. He remembered running over hills, fishing in the river, climbing the highest tree he could find to look down on a world where he ordinarily felt quite small. The seeds of his ambition were sowed in that childhood—to succeed. To build something lasting.
The world was changing. The gaming hell belonged to a past where a few had so much money they could throw it away on dice and cards. The future belonged to men with brains and courage, no matter who parented them. Rhys had brains and courage and, with the help of the gaming hell, he’d soon have enough capital to build anything he liked.
His thoughts turned to Celia Allen as the sun warmed the air and lit the buildings in a golden light. Which world did she belong to? He no longer knew. He only knew that in the gaming hell, they were one of a kind.
Would she share his bed this night?
Would she approve of his actions this day?
Not that he would ever tell her, but, somehow his visit to the Westleighs, the family to which he would never truly belong, had left him feeling abandoned.
He wanted the comfort of her arms, her kiss.
He looked up to cross the street and saw Ned approaching from the other side. He stopped and waited. He might as well inform Ned about the afternoon’s events.
Ned walked right past him, not pointedly cutting him, as was typical of him, but apparently utterly oblivious.
Rhys called after him, ‘Ned!’
Ned stopped then and shook his head as if in a daze. He finally turned around. ‘Oh, Rhys. I did not see you there.’
He must be dazed. He called him Rhys, not Rhysdale.
He peered at Ned. ‘Are you unwell?’
Ned laughed. ‘Not at all. Merely thinking.’
The man looked like a sapskull. ‘What is so engrossing?’
Ned grinned. ‘Nothing.’
Oh. A woman.
A man only acted in such a manner when he was a besotted fool. ‘May I pull your head from the clouds?’
Ned sobered. ‘What is it?’
‘I’ve come from your father.’ Their father, he meant. ‘I have forced the issue with him and I am satisfied that my introduction to society will happen soon. I am prepared to transfer the money back to you. Your original investment and some modest profits.’
Ned brightened. ‘My father came through? I feared he would not.’ He grasped Rhys’s arm. ‘This means … This means … We may retrench. We may actually pull out of this!’
Rhys recoiled from this unexpected camaraderie. ‘Do not be so hasty. It is not all song and celebration. I am afraid this matter has caused your mother some distress. For that, I am regretful.’
‘My mother?’ Ned’s demeanour blackened. ‘Did Father tell her?’
‘I did,’ Rhys said. ‘Although not by design. She encountered me in the hall.’
Ned lowered his head, his euphoria gone.
Rhys felt badly for him. ‘Think, Ned. She would have to know of this.’
‘I realise that,’ Ned responded. ‘I just hate what this does to her.’
Rhys actually felt sympathetic to Ned. ‘If it is any consolation, she knew who I was as soon as I told her my name.’
Ned nodded. ‘That does not surprise me. I am certain, though, that she did not know the state of our finances.’
‘Yes, I do think that shocked her,’ Rhys admitted. ‘I admired her. She handled the whole situation with exceptional grace.’
Ned glanced up at him. ‘She is an exceptional woman.’
Rhys clapped Ned on the soldier, surprising himself that their conversation was devoid of hostility. ‘Come with me to Coutts Bank. I’ll transfer the money to you right now.’
‘Excellent!’ Ned’s mood improved. ‘But I must be done by four o’clock.’
‘We’ll be done,’ Rhys assured him.
Celia excused herself after two of her mother-in-law’s friends came to call. Adele had already begged to be excused so that she might ready herself for her ride in Hyde Park.
It was endearing to see Adele so excited and happy. This past year of mourning had been so difficult. First the shock of their financial situation, then what amounted to an eviction from the only home Adele had ever known.
And now Luther thought he could court Adele?
Not if Celia could help it.
Although Celia was unsure about Neddington, as well.
But she was getting ahead of herself. Adele was engaged only for a ride in Hyde Park, not marriage.
Celia retreated to her bedchamber.
